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James Patrick Cronin, Ph.D.

James Cronin's research uses analytical tools to identify ecological processes operating in natural systems and aid decision makers in conserving and restoring natural landscapes. His projects generally focus on (1) translating human knowledge and beliefs about how the world works into causal models and (2) using causal models to inform large-scale restoration efforts.

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Pittsburgh

B.A., Biology, St. John's University

BACKGROUND

2018-Present: Research Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (formerly National Wetland Research Center), Lafayette, LA, USA

2014-2018: Ecologist, US Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (formerly National Wetland Research Center), Lafayette, LA, USA

2013-2014: Research Scientist I, Five Rivers Services LLC, USGS National Wetland Research Center, Lafayette, LA, USA

2006-2013: Postdoctoral Research Associate Infectious Disease Ecology, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

1999-2006: Ph.D. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; NSF Gk-12 Teaching Fellow, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA

1996-1999: B.A. Biology, St. John’s University, MN

Science and Products

Image: Black Skimmers

Identifying Conservation Objectives for the Gulf Coast Habitats of the Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern

Many shorebirds and nearshore waterbirds are of conservation concern across the Gulf of America due to stressors such as human disturbance, predation, and habitat loss and degradation. Conservation and protection of these birds is important for the functioning of healthy ecosystems and for maintaining biodiversity in North America. Consequently, resource managers along the gulf need...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Identifying Conservation Objectives for the Gulf Coast Habitats of the Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern

Identifying Conservation Objectives for the Gulf Coast Habitats of the Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern

Many shorebirds and nearshore waterbirds are of conservation concern across the Gulf of America due to stressors such as human disturbance, predation, and habitat loss and degradation. Conservation and protection of these birds is important for the functioning of healthy ecosystems and for maintaining biodiversity in North America. Consequently, resource managers along the gulf need decision
Learn More

Biological planning units and aquatic extensions for the Gulf Coast Biological planning units and aquatic extensions for the Gulf Coast

The success of Gulf Coast restoration efforts hinge on partners sharing a common vision for conservation framed by explicit biological objectives for specific conservation targets. However, specific and explicit biological objectives that quantify what it means to actually share a common vision remain undefined. Therefore, this project's goal is to develop explicit biological objectives...
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Filter Total Items: 13

A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations

Identifying and clearly communicating the drivers of ecosystem function is a crucially important goal for both basic and applied ecology. This has proven difficult because the putative causes (e.g., environment, species identity, biodiversity, and functional traits) are numerous and correlated. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of a formal framework for unambiguously relating...
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Chad R Zirbel, James P. Cronin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis

Aim Recent research has highlighted that the relationship between species interactions and latitude can differ between native and invasive plant taxa, generating biogeographical heterogeneity in community resistance to plant invasions. In the first study with foliar pathogens, we tested whether co‐occurring native and invasive lineages of common reed (Phragmites australis ) exhibit non...
Authors
Warwick J. Allen, Aaron Devries, Nicholas J. Bologna, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski, Laura A. Meyerson, James T. Cronin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Final project memorandum: Identifying conservation objectives for the Gulf Coast habitats of the black skimmer and gull-billed tern Final project memorandum: Identifying conservation objectives for the Gulf Coast habitats of the black skimmer and gull-billed tern

Many shorebirds and nearshore waterbirds are of conservation concern across the Gulf of Mexico due to stressors such as human disturbance, predation, and habitat loss and degradation. Conservation and protection of these birds is important for the functioning of healthy ecosystems and for maintaining biodiversity in North America. Consequently, resource managers along the Gulf need...
Authors
James P. Cronin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of America

A causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language A causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language

Recent studies hypothesize various causes of species‐level trait covariation, namely size (e.g., metabolic theory of ecology and leaf economics spectrum), pace‐of‐life (e.g., slow‐to‐fast continuum; lifestyle continuum), evolutionary history (e.g., phylogenetic conservatism), and ecological conditions (e.g., stabilizing selection). Various methods have been used in attempts to partition...
Authors
James P. Cronin, Donald Schoolmaster
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey science strategy for highly pathogenic avian influenza in wildlife and the environment (2016–2020) U.S. Geological Survey science strategy for highly pathogenic avian influenza in wildlife and the environment (2016–2020)

Introduction Through the Science Strategy for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Wildlife and the Environment, the USGS will assess avian influenza (AI) dynamics in an ecological context to inform decisions made by resource managers and policymakers from the local to national level. Through collection of unbiased scientific information on the ecology of AI viruses and wildlife...
Authors
M. Camille Harris, John M. Pearce, Diann J. Prosser, C. LeAnn White, A. Keith Miles, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Christopher J. Brand, James P. Cronin, Susan De La Cruz, Christine L. Densmore, Thomas W. Doyle, Robert J. Dusek, Joseph P. Fleskes, Paul L. Flint, Gerald F. Guala, Jeffrey S. Hall, Laura E. Hubbard, Randall J. Hunt, S. Ip, Rachel A. Katz, Kevin W. Laurent, Mark P. Miller, Mark D. Munn, Andrew M. Ramey, Kevin D. Richards, Robin E. Russell, Joel P. Stokdyk, John Y. Takekawa, Daniel P. Walsh
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Science Synthesis, Analysis, and Research Program, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment

The role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection The role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection

1.The Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) describes global covariation in the traits of plant leaves. The LES is thought to arise from biophysical constraints and habitat filtering (ecological selection against unfit trait combinations along environmental gradients). However, the role of habitat filtering in generating the LES has not been tested experimentally. 2.If the process of habitat...
Authors
Miranda E Welsh, James P. Cronin, Charles E. Mitchell
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Cronin JP, MA Rua, and CE Mitchell. 2014. Why is living fast dangerous? Disentangling the role of resistance and tolerance of disease. The American Naturalist. 184, 172-187 doi: 10.1086/676854
Cronin, JP, Rúa MA and Mitchell CE. 2014. Data from: Why is living fast dangerous? Disentangling the roles of resistance and tolerance of disease. American Naturalist, Dryad Digital Repository: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8mq2q.
Welsh ME, Cronin JP, and Mitchell CE. 2016. The role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection. Journal of Ecology 104, 1768–1777
Welsh ME, Cronin JP and Mitchell CE. 2016. Data from: the role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection. Dryad Digital Repository, http://datadryad.org/resource/doi:10.5061/dryad.356v3
Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Mitchell CE and Cronin JP. 2014. Multiple nutrients and herbivores interact to govern diversity, productivity, composition, and infection in a successional grassland. Oikos. 123, 214-224
Cronin JP, Han BA, Keesing F, Kilpatrick AM, Metcalf CJE, and Welsh ME. 2012. Towards trait-based disease ecology: Integrating theory and data across kingdoms. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 93, 95-99
Cronin JP, Tonsor SJ, and Carson WP. 2010. A simultaneous test of trophic interaction models: Which vegetation characteristic explains herbivore control over plant community mass? Ecology Letters. 13, 202-212
Cronin JP, Welsh ME, Dekkers MG, Abercrombie ST, and Mitchell CE. 2010. Host physiological phenotype explains pathogen reservoir potential. Ecology Letters, 13, 1221-1232
Carson WP, Cronin JP, and Long ZT. 2004. A general rule for predicting when insects will have strong top-down effects on plant communities: On the relationship between insect outbreaks and host concentration. Pages 193-212 in Weisser WW and E Siemann (eds). Insects and Ecosystem Function. Ecological Studies Series Vol. 173. Springer-Verlag
Cronin JP and Carson WP. Competition. 2002. In Macmillian Science Library: Biology Macmillan Reference USA, Gale Group. New York, NY. (Invited)

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products

Image: Black Skimmers

Identifying Conservation Objectives for the Gulf Coast Habitats of the Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern

Many shorebirds and nearshore waterbirds are of conservation concern across the Gulf of America due to stressors such as human disturbance, predation, and habitat loss and degradation. Conservation and protection of these birds is important for the functioning of healthy ecosystems and for maintaining biodiversity in North America. Consequently, resource managers along the gulf need...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
Identifying Conservation Objectives for the Gulf Coast Habitats of the Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern

Identifying Conservation Objectives for the Gulf Coast Habitats of the Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern

Many shorebirds and nearshore waterbirds are of conservation concern across the Gulf of America due to stressors such as human disturbance, predation, and habitat loss and degradation. Conservation and protection of these birds is important for the functioning of healthy ecosystems and for maintaining biodiversity in North America. Consequently, resource managers along the gulf need decision
Learn More

Biological planning units and aquatic extensions for the Gulf Coast Biological planning units and aquatic extensions for the Gulf Coast

The success of Gulf Coast restoration efforts hinge on partners sharing a common vision for conservation framed by explicit biological objectives for specific conservation targets. However, specific and explicit biological objectives that quantify what it means to actually share a common vision remain undefined. Therefore, this project's goal is to develop explicit biological objectives...
By
Wetland and Aquatic Research Center
Filter Total Items: 13

A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations A graphical causal model for resolving species identity effects and biodiversity–ecosystem function correlations

Identifying and clearly communicating the drivers of ecosystem function is a crucially important goal for both basic and applied ecology. This has proven difficult because the putative causes (e.g., environment, species identity, biodiversity, and functional traits) are numerous and correlated. The problem is exacerbated by a lack of a formal framework for unambiguously relating...
Authors
Donald R. Schoolmaster, Chad R Zirbel, James P. Cronin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis Intraspecific and biogeographical variation in foliar fungal communities and pathogen damage of native and invasive Phragmites australis

Aim Recent research has highlighted that the relationship between species interactions and latitude can differ between native and invasive plant taxa, generating biogeographical heterogeneity in community resistance to plant invasions. In the first study with foliar pathogens, we tested whether co‐occurring native and invasive lineages of common reed (Phragmites australis ) exhibit non...
Authors
Warwick J. Allen, Aaron Devries, Nicholas J. Bologna, Wesley A. Bickford, Kurt P. Kowalski, Laura A. Meyerson, James T. Cronin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Great Lakes Science Center

Final project memorandum: Identifying conservation objectives for the Gulf Coast habitats of the black skimmer and gull-billed tern Final project memorandum: Identifying conservation objectives for the Gulf Coast habitats of the black skimmer and gull-billed tern

Many shorebirds and nearshore waterbirds are of conservation concern across the Gulf of Mexico due to stressors such as human disturbance, predation, and habitat loss and degradation. Conservation and protection of these birds is important for the functioning of healthy ecosystems and for maintaining biodiversity in North America. Consequently, resource managers along the Gulf need...
Authors
James P. Cronin
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Gulf of America

A causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language A causal partition of trait correlations: using graphical models to derive statistical models from theoretical language

Recent studies hypothesize various causes of species‐level trait covariation, namely size (e.g., metabolic theory of ecology and leaf economics spectrum), pace‐of‐life (e.g., slow‐to‐fast continuum; lifestyle continuum), evolutionary history (e.g., phylogenetic conservatism), and ecological conditions (e.g., stabilizing selection). Various methods have been used in attempts to partition...
Authors
James P. Cronin, Donald Schoolmaster
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

U.S. Geological Survey science strategy for highly pathogenic avian influenza in wildlife and the environment (2016–2020) U.S. Geological Survey science strategy for highly pathogenic avian influenza in wildlife and the environment (2016–2020)

Introduction Through the Science Strategy for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Wildlife and the Environment, the USGS will assess avian influenza (AI) dynamics in an ecological context to inform decisions made by resource managers and policymakers from the local to national level. Through collection of unbiased scientific information on the ecology of AI viruses and wildlife...
Authors
M. Camille Harris, John M. Pearce, Diann J. Prosser, C. LeAnn White, A. Keith Miles, Jonathan M. Sleeman, Christopher J. Brand, James P. Cronin, Susan De La Cruz, Christine L. Densmore, Thomas W. Doyle, Robert J. Dusek, Joseph P. Fleskes, Paul L. Flint, Gerald F. Guala, Jeffrey S. Hall, Laura E. Hubbard, Randall J. Hunt, S. Ip, Rachel A. Katz, Kevin W. Laurent, Mark P. Miller, Mark D. Munn, Andrew M. Ramey, Kevin D. Richards, Robin E. Russell, Joel P. Stokdyk, John Y. Takekawa, Daniel P. Walsh
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Science Synthesis, Analysis, and Research Program, Alaska Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Laboratory for Infectious Disease and the Environment

The role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection The role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection

1.The Leaf Economics Spectrum (LES) describes global covariation in the traits of plant leaves. The LES is thought to arise from biophysical constraints and habitat filtering (ecological selection against unfit trait combinations along environmental gradients). However, the role of habitat filtering in generating the LES has not been tested experimentally. 2.If the process of habitat...
Authors
Miranda E Welsh, James P. Cronin, Charles E. Mitchell
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Cronin JP, MA Rua, and CE Mitchell. 2014. Why is living fast dangerous? Disentangling the role of resistance and tolerance of disease. The American Naturalist. 184, 172-187 doi: 10.1086/676854
Cronin, JP, Rúa MA and Mitchell CE. 2014. Data from: Why is living fast dangerous? Disentangling the roles of resistance and tolerance of disease. American Naturalist, Dryad Digital Repository: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8mq2q.
Welsh ME, Cronin JP, and Mitchell CE. 2016. The role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection. Journal of Ecology 104, 1768–1777
Welsh ME, Cronin JP and Mitchell CE. 2016. Data from: the role of habitat filtering in the leaf economics spectrum and plant susceptibility to pathogen infection. Dryad Digital Repository, http://datadryad.org/resource/doi:10.5061/dryad.356v3
Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Mitchell CE and Cronin JP. 2014. Multiple nutrients and herbivores interact to govern diversity, productivity, composition, and infection in a successional grassland. Oikos. 123, 214-224
Cronin JP, Han BA, Keesing F, Kilpatrick AM, Metcalf CJE, and Welsh ME. 2012. Towards trait-based disease ecology: Integrating theory and data across kingdoms. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 93, 95-99
Cronin JP, Tonsor SJ, and Carson WP. 2010. A simultaneous test of trophic interaction models: Which vegetation characteristic explains herbivore control over plant community mass? Ecology Letters. 13, 202-212
Cronin JP, Welsh ME, Dekkers MG, Abercrombie ST, and Mitchell CE. 2010. Host physiological phenotype explains pathogen reservoir potential. Ecology Letters, 13, 1221-1232
Carson WP, Cronin JP, and Long ZT. 2004. A general rule for predicting when insects will have strong top-down effects on plant communities: On the relationship between insect outbreaks and host concentration. Pages 193-212 in Weisser WW and E Siemann (eds). Insects and Ecosystem Function. Ecological Studies Series Vol. 173. Springer-Verlag
Cronin JP and Carson WP. Competition. 2002. In Macmillian Science Library: Biology Macmillan Reference USA, Gale Group. New York, NY. (Invited)

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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